


Delicate

by fangirls5ever



Category: Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Dimitri and Byleth as parents, Dimitri just really loves his wife, F!Byleth, F/M, Few to no spoilers, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Post-War, angst and then fluff, character introspection, expanding on how Dimitri manages to break perfectly unbreakable things, suddenly, this was meant to be only fluff but then
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-10-01 23:29:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20436257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirls5ever/pseuds/fangirls5ever
Summary: Gentleness, even as a child, does not come easily to Dimitri.It isn’t for a lack of kindness or care—the prince of the Holy Kingdom is attentive to anyone needing his help, works hard in his training so as to not trouble his parents and tutors, speaks with all the tact a child his age can possibly muster. No, Dimitri’s struggle is not born of character.It is born of blood, and that blessed entity called the Crest of Blaiddyd.——Post-canon Byleth and Dimitri as expectant parents, with all the joy and crest-associated fears that follow.





	Delicate

Gentleness, even as a child, does not come easily to Dimitri.

It isn’t for a lack of kindness or care—the prince of the Holy Kingdom is attentive to anyone needing his help, works hard in his training so as to not trouble his parents and tutors, speaks with all the tact a child his age can possibly muster. No, Dimitri’s struggle is not born of character.

It is born of blood, and that blessed entity called the Crest of Blaiddyd.

In his small, soft hands, training lances shatter like porcelain. Iron doors dent and warp under a decisive knock. Bones crackle and snap like dry wood when Dimitri catches the wrist of a would-be assassin.

Even at such a young age, the Crest of Blaiddyd is not meant for peace, for diplomacy, for all the little domesticities in one’s life.

It is a crest meant for war and slaughter and protecting his people, come what may. It is the faintest touch of the goddess’s power, the divine blessing of a deity long silent. A gift like a two-edged sword.

And though he gains greater control over his crest as he grows, wrests what little power he can from that ancient thing in his blood, Dimitri knows that he’ll never control it in full. He’ll go through his whole life cautiously, as though the world were made of spun glass and he of stone, the world cracking under the mere weight of his presence.

It’s all he can do to not break things at their strongest, even after the war, after his marriage to Byleth and two years of their rule together. He still snaps off the handles of Byleth’s seemingly-endless porcelain tea cups, breaks lance after lance in training much to his blacksmiths’ chagrin, snaps dozens of feather quills a day as he goes through his paperwork.

Even with all his efforts, all his time spent gaining control over his crest, Dimitri finds himself hesitant to touch anything truly irreplaceable.

——

When Mercedes visits the castle, bearing a child in her arms and a request for the goddess’s blessing on her tongue, Dimitri quickly turns down any offer to hold the infant. Byleth gives him the silent, disapproving stare he remembers so well from their years at the monastery—the one he had tried hard to avoid, the one he continues to avoid even now. Dimitri quickly looks away, feeling properly chastised.

Taking the child in her arms, Byleth turns her gaze to the infant, steely eyes softening, the way they do for his classmates, to something unmistakably affectionate. “What’s her name?” she asks quietly.

“Aria,” Mercedes replies, smiling warmly. “Dorothea’s hoping she’ll be something of a singer when she grows up.”

Byleth brushes a hand through the child’s tawny brown curls. “And you?”

“I just want her to be happy.”

“You’re a good mother, Mercedes,” Byleth says, lips curling up in the hint of a smile.

“Thank you, Professor.”

The green-haired woman shakes her head lightly, eyes bright with mirth. “I haven’t been a teacher for years now. Please, call me Byleth.”

“I didn’t realize it bothered you,” Mercedes says, blinking once, twice, before giving a small bow. “Apologies, Professor. Ah, I mean—”

“I’m afraid it’s a bit of a lost cause by now, love,” Dimitri says. Even in their letters to the couple, Byleth’s students have never referred to her as anything besides “Professor,” or, in Claude’s case, “Teach.” Even Dimitri had taken a good month to fully break the habit, and he’d been engaged to the woman.

Byleth sighs, but mercifully lets the issue slide as she turns her attention again to the child in her arms. Leaning down, she murmurs something soft, green eyes flickering over for just a second with a haze of rainbow colors, making Dimitri think of the Divine Pulses that Byleth had once described to him in halting tones.

It’s strange, sometimes, to remember that he’s married to the physical incarnation of a goddess, but perhaps less so than it should be—after all, Dimitri had thought the world of Byleth even before learning about her strange powers and origin. That she is vessel to the progenitor god is simply another remarkable feat to an already miles long list.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to hold her, Dimitri?” Mercedes asks as Byleth sets Aria gently back in her mother’s arms.

Dimitri can feel Byleth’s pointed gaze, can feel the expectations held behind it, and takes care not to look her way. If he looks, he’ll give in, and if he gives in, he’ll be handed the child, and if his crest rises even just the slightest—

“I wouldn’t want to wake her,” he says, and Mercedes looks down to where the baby stirs, little face wrinkled in displeasure at having been jostled about by her and Byleth.

Byleth’s disappointed stare, for having been received only minutes before, is no less potent the second time.

The three make their goodbyes in hushed tones, hoping to avoid waking the baby further, and promise to meet again soon.

“Perhaps by then, you’ll have a child of your own,” Mercedes says.

Byleth nods, green eyes unreadable. “Perhaps.”

——

A month has passed since Mercedes’ visit when Dimitri wakes to the sound of retching. Jolting awake, he sits up quickly, one hand grasping for the dagger at his bedside, and the other reaching out to the space beside him, finding only still-warm sheets.

Dimitri unsheathes the dagger, rising slowly to his feet. His gaze flits quickly about the room, scouring the shadows for even the slightest hint of movement, the barest indication that the room is less empty than it seems—

Soft footsteps draw his attention to the washroom door. Byleth, face waxen and pale, stands in the doorway, painted silver with moonlight. Her usual proud posture is bent, a hand pressed tight against her stomach as she leans heavily against the stone wall.

The dagger falls from his hand, all but forgotten as Dimitri hastens to meet her, hand rising to catch hers. “What’s wrong?” he asks hurriedly, pressing the back of his free hand to her forehead. No high temperature. Not a fever, then. “Was it poison? Illness? Should I call for a healer? Are you—“

“Dimitri,” she rasps, voice rough from sickness.

The King of Faerghus goes perfectly silent, hand clenched tightly against hers, knuckles turning white.

Byleth takes a steadying breath, green eyes flickering with something like uncertainty as she raises her head to meet his gaze. She opens her mouth. Pauses. 

Then, finding the words at last, says simply, “I’m pregnant.”

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t fully finished the Blue Lions route yet, so hopefully this is canon compliant enough ^^ I really do love both of these characters, and smol Dimitri is just?? So sweet and supportive?? 
> 
> For only being around 1K, I spent a solid 6 hours or so writing and editing this, but hopefully this has gotten me back into the swing of writing things again :D I’d really love to write more for this fandom, though I don’t really know which routes or ships yet, since I’ve only finished the Golden Deer, and it’ll be a while before I can finish the Blue Lion route.
> 
> Comments or kudos make me so happy, and I always comment back on each message! ^^
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! <3


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